“I think one thing that has kind of been dismissed a little bit is the fact that James hurt his foot … For him to come back and compete and never complain and never use that as a crutch for anything speaks volumes for James and for the disposition of our team. We want results, like everybody. Nobody cares if you’ve got aches and pains. But he truly had and still has a foot injury that could have shelved him for a whole lot longer.”

Rahon was asked when he feels it the most.

“Pretty much every step,” he said, “because it’s a bone on the bottom of my foot. Even just walking, I can feel it. It’s been a little bit tough. It’s a setback. It’s an obstacle I have to overcome. Putting all that work in over the summer and then breaking your foot (two) days before the season is not good for anyone.”

Sliding is particularly tough. So is staying balanced and getting lift on his trademark perimeter jumper.

He opened the season 2-of-16 on threes and, perhaps even more telling, appears reluctant to shoot them now – once every 13½ minutes over the past five games compared to a steady average of once every six minutes in previous seasons.

“It probably starts with the ability to plant and move off that foot, and that affects everything,” Fisher said. “Then it affects you mentally, where you start saying, ‘What’s going on here?’ But if you’re a shooter, you don’t all of a sudden become a non-shooter. We have to help him build confidence.”

A 12-day break since the last game helps. Rahon has practiced sporadically, usually only in halfcourt situations, and traipsed to final exams in a protective boot. Several teammates have been resting as well, most notably senior forward Tim Shelton and his aching knees.

Come tonight, Rahon will do what he’s done all season. He’ll lace up his sneakers and suck it up.

“Hopefully it should be pain-free in the next couple weeks,” Rahon said. “Hopefully.”